Just Between Us
by Madame Kiksters
Summary: Takashi never liked to abuse his power, and he liked it even less so when others did it. Too bad the child he'd made a contract with brought the worst out in both of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:**

 **Wow. This really wasn't what I should be writing but... oh well. I wanted to write something for MatoNatsu weekend...**  
 **Well, I'm here now!**  
 **A few things to note:**  
 **-I went with addressing Natsume by his first name because... Takashi means noble and... he's a god so... yeah. That's it. xD**  
 **-Natsume has his manga look. Meaning the silver-white hair (although it is a little longer) and the green eyes. I figured it went nicely with the whole god AU**

 **(See the end of the work for more notes.)**

* * *

Chapter 1

Green eyes slid open behind a solemn-faced bear mask to appreciate the gentle swaying of the trees. With a stretch, silver tresses spilled free from where they'd been tucked between Takashi's back and the thick tree branch he lounged upon, lost in thought.

Takashi always believed he was a fair god to his followers, human and youkai alike. He never sided with anyone based on whether they were human or one of his kind, it was probably why everyone trusted in his judgement with little complaint.

He was one of a handful of gods who still retained the power to reveal themselves to humans and was probably the only one who had any inclination to do so.

It helped him to deal with arguments between youkai and humans. One of the most troublesome decisions he'd had to make had involved youkai torturing local farmers. He'd investigated the matter and discovered that the humans had started the problem by clearing out part of the youkai's forest to grow more crops for the village's rapidly growing population. He'd allowed the farmers to keep the land, since the forest had already been destroyed in that area, but he'd warned that the youkai had full rights to the land, and if they chose to eat the crops planted, the farmers couldn't complain. The youkai had picked a few of each crop to spite the humans but had listened to Takashi's secret request to let the humans keep most of it.

Distantly, he heard his followers milling about, enjoying their afternoon drinking party. He seldom took part in drinking, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't fully enjoy playing games with his drunken friends towards the end of their festivities.

He smiled to himself with anticipation when he began to hear the increasing amount of slurring beneath him and stood to make his way down from his perch. Gathering his grey robes in preparation, he was distracted by the sound of a human child's cry. He took a moment to place its direction and leaped across the branches to investigate. The greatest thing that worried him was that it was only a single cry… and in his limited experience with humans, he'd never known a child to scream like that only once if they were okay.

His silver tresses brushed against the leaves, but none of the foliage dared to snag a single strand in his haste. He maintained his pace until his ears caught the sound of footsteps stumbling through the brush. He almost missed the panicked child that ran under him heading in the direction Takashi had come from.

He was startled by a malicious voice screeching, "It's mine! It's mine! Give it to me!"

Lifting his gaze from the terrified child, Takashi discovered a monstrous youkai crashing through the forest in pursuit. Its energy burned through the trunks of the trees where its skin brushed against them, leaving indents of black and splintered wood.

Takashi knew human children were cruel, especially to things different from them, but he couldn't imagine a child doing something so grave to warrant the murderous glint of hatred lighting the youkai's eyes.

He waited until the child had safely passed under him before jumping down to intercept the youkai's path. The moment the youkai crashed through the leaves and made eye contact, Takashi could see it was torn between charging past him or through him. When its face settled into an impossibly deeper snarl, Takashi braced himself and raised a hand towards the youkai, the sleeves of his robe sliding up his arm to reveal faintly glowing skin.

Energy crackled at his fingertips in warning. Paying no heed to his threat, the youkai rammed into Takashi's hand at full speed.

The force made Takashi's bare feet leave grooves in the earth when he slid back, but he remained standing firmly.

"Get. Out of." The youkai shoved against him, using its energy stores to push against Takashi. "My… **way**!"

With a great heave, Takashi was knocked aside and into a tree, cracking it from the force of his impact.

Wincing, Takashi watched as the youkai sped past him and after the human once more.

A surge of righteous injustice consumed him and, in his wrath, the only thought coursing through Takashi's mind was to exact his vengeance upon the one that had slighted him.

Lifting a hand, he channeled energy into his palm. All his fury surmounted into a chaotic flame that he hurled towards the youkai's back. The second it touched the youkai's back, it burst into flames with a demonic screech.

It turned to him in equal parts rage and disbelief, before fleeing in a brilliant mass of fire that streaked behind it.

Takashi hid his shaking hands inside the sleeves of his robe, pausing long enough to recover after expending so much energy at once.

He tracked the human's scent until he found it lying face up on the ground.

Judging from the single, now leafless low hanging branch, Takashi was willing to wager that the human had concussed itself. Taking a whiff of the air told him the human was only unconscious.

Cautiously, Takashi knelt to inspect the child further.

Its skin, while pale by human standards, was still a few shades darker than Takashi's own, and its inky black hair was a stark contrast to Takashi's silvery locks.

He waited patiently for the human to awaken, watching the sun sink further down the sky when he lost interest in observing the child, and listening to the sounds of the forest's inhabitants.

His ears twitched when the child began stirring with a groan and he turned his attention to it.

Brown eyes cracked open and Takashi had a few seconds to marvel at how closely they resembled the dark wood of the trees before the child sat up with a gasp. It curled forward, clutching its head with a whine.

It looked around warily. The second it saw Takashi, it scooted back in fear. "Who are you? Where's the monster?"

Takashi tilted his head at the odd term. "Monster?" His eyes widened. Perhaps the youkai chasing the human did resemble a monster to one so weak. "I sent it away from here. Which is what I'll be doing to you." He gave the human a stern look. "Children do not belong in this part of the forest."

The human's eyes widened further, and it stood before bolting deeper into the forest. Takashi growled with mounting frustration, humans always made things more difficult than they needed to be.

He chased after the child and caught it shortly after, wincing at the scream the human let out.

"Let me go! Let me go!" It repeated, over and over again.

Takashi gently lifted the child by its clothes until it was at eye level. He waited until the human stopped.

"Why are you doing this? Just leave me alone." It whimpered, covering its face with its tiny hands. "All of you… just leave me alone."

"Poor child." Takashi lamented, feeling his anger dissipate. Humans had long since lost the ability to see youkai as they once had. Children, however, were an exception. He reasoned it was due to the belief in the fantastical that gave children this ability. The biggest problem with that being the fact that humans seldom had any spiritual ability to defend themselves.

He set the child down, making sure to support its weight until it could stand on its own.

"Are you ready to return to your home?"

The child nodded uncertainly, and Takashi turned on his heel to escort the child out of his forest. "This way then."

Takashi kept his pace slow enough that the child could keep up without having to stop and catch its breath. It would be one of the longest treks through his forest, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

The sudden question from behind him made Takashi still. Turning back to the child, he tilted his head, checking his body for any wounds he might have unknowingly received. "Doesn't what hurt?"

The child pointed to Takashi's bare feet. "There's lots of twigs and rocks. Can't you feel them?"

Takashi chuckled, lifting his robes a little higher so the child could see that his feet were clean and unscathed. "The earth and 'twigs' are part of this forest. As its ruler, I am allowed safe passage anywhere I please. Shoes are unnecessary…" He shuffled with discomfort at the thought of covering his feet, "And uncomfortable."

With that, he set off again. The sound of dirt being scuffed behind him let him know the child was following him.

"Uncomfortable?"

Without stopping, Takashi answered, "I like to feel where I'm walking. The one time I wore shoes," Purely out of curiosity, went unsaid, "it felt like I was going to trip and fall with every step. I haven't worn shoes since."

The child seemed to accept that answer, because it didn't say anything afterwards.

The sun had set completely, and Takashi sighed when he saw the various markers indicating he was only halfway out of his forest.

An owl screeched in the distance and Takashi felt his right hand clutched tightly. He went to pull away, sending the child a scathing look for having the audacity to touch him, but paused when he saw the terrified look marring its face.

Perhaps he could allow the child to do as it wished, for now. It would be a greater hassle if he had to chase after the child should it run in fear of the nightly ambiance.

He loosely gripped the child's shaking hand as they continued. It appeared to ease the human somewhat, but it would still look around wildly at every sudden noise.

The movement was jostling him, and Takashi couldn't help his growing annoyance. Finally, he stopped and turned to the human.

"Would it soothe you if I illuminated our path?" he questioned in a curt tone.

The child looked up at him in confusion, its eyes continuing to dart around nervously. "What?"

Straining himself not to get any angrier, Takashi began to repeat himself, "Would it soothe you if I-"

"I heard you. I just don't know what that means." The child snapped, fear and perhaps rising exhaustion giving it the courage to stand up to the god.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Takashi chuckled in disbelief. Both at the child's sharp remark and his own forgetfulness. It was easy to forget that human children lacked the vast vocabulary they'd grow into.

"Would some light make you feel better?" He amended.

The child's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Yes!"

Looking up, Takashi freed his right hand from the child's grip, so he could lift both hands, beckoning the leaves of the trees to part so he could see the sky. The moon had yet to rise, and while beautiful, the stars hardly afforded enough light to comfort the child with him.

Takashi sighed mournfully at having to use more unnecessary power before he focused energy into his left hand, producing a softly glowing orb of light.

He heard a quiet gasp from beside him and turned to find the child watching the orb with delighted fascination.

Without thinking, he offered his right hand back to the child and only realized what he'd done when he gently tightened his fingers around the tiny hand. The child didn't notice anything odd and Takashi wasn't going to admit how flustered he'd made himself at the action.

"Thank you, Kumamon-sama." The human whispered a short while later.

Takashi stilled at the child's gratitude, searching for whatever spirit had managed to get close to him without his knowledge. When he didn't see anything, he looked back at the child to find it smiling up at him shyly.

"Kuma-" Takashi stopped, realization dawning on him when he scratched the side of his head where the black bear mask rested. The child was probably referring to it.

Takashi smiled. "That is not my name, child, but you may refer to me as such if you wish."

The child looked incredibly disheartened by the news, but it recovered quickly with a smile. "Then what is your name?"

Takashi let out an incredulous laugh before lifting an eyebrow. "My, they really don't teach children anything about youkai anymore. Haven't you learned that knowing a name holds the power to control its owner?"

"Really?" The child looked down in what appeared to be deep thought. Takashi almost began to drag the child along to get it moving again, but it lifted its head with a bright smile.

And before Takashi could stop it, the child announced, "Then it's only fair if I give you my name first. It's Matoba Seiji."

Takashi froze before smacking a hand to his forehead in disbelief. "You should never give your name to a youkai, child! What am I to do with you?" he groaned, making Matoba laugh.

After he'd recovered, Takashi scolded the child thoroughly, finishing his rant with a huffed, "You are lucky that I have no ill intentions."

Looking properly cowed, Matoba followed Takashi quietly. It wasn't until they'd reached the edge of the forest, when Takashi began to bid the child farewell, did Matoba speak again.

Looking around nervously, Matoba asked, "What if the monster comes after me again?"

Glaring at the child half-heartedly, Takashi answered shortly, "You should never enter this forest again. You will be safe if you heed my warning."

Matoba shook his head vehemently. "No! The monster… it chased me into the forest. I only ran in because I was trying to lose it in the trees."

Takashi tilted his head in confusion before he kneeled down to the child. Leaning forward slowly, so as not to spook Matoba, he took a few whiffs of his hair. He flinched back from the malevolent scent on the edge of Matoba's own.

"Have you made a deal with that youk-… monster?"

Matoba shook his head once more. "I've never seen that one before. I was exploring when it popped out of nowhere trying to eat me!"

Takashi hummed. He didn't bear the child any ill will, and the problem was likely the result of its ancestors.

"Give me a piece of your hair." Takashi demanded.

Looking confused but having faith that whatever Takashi had planned would keep him safe, Matoba plucked out a single strand of his hair. "Like this?"

"This should suffice." Takashi answered, taking the strand carefully and eating it with a sour look on his face at what he was about to do. Matoba shared the look, though it was probably for a different reason.

When Takashi raised his hand, a large leaf floated down into it from the trees above. He pricked his index finger on one of his bottom fangs before writing his name in blood on the leaf.

Before handing the leaf to Matoba, Takashi listed a few conditions. "This leaf is very important. If you let anything happen to it, the same will happen to me." To demonstrate and prove the severity of his warning, Takashi ripped the tiniest bit into the tip of the leaf, wincing when a large cut appeared on his arm. Matoba gasped, taking a step back in horror. "You must never let anyone else have it, understood?"

Matoba nodded his head gravely.

"When you die, this leaf will lose its power. This contract is between the two of us, not your bloodline. That's why I used your hair." Takashi explained, offering the leaf to Matoba who received it like he would the most fragile glasswork.

"How does it work?"

"Hold this leaf in your hand and remember my face. When you call my name, I will come to your aid."

Looking at the name, Matoba read aloud, "Takashi." It appeared to be an unexpected development if the confused look on the child's face was any indicator. "Takashi-sama?"

He nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Correct, Matoba-san."

Matoba blushed, scratching his head with embarrassment. "You can just call me Seiji. I'm not big enough for san."

"Very well. Seiji. I bid you farewell." Takashi bowed his head in a polite goodbye, Matoba bowing at the waist in response.

Smiling, Takashi finally left the child to find his way home.

He was twelve steps in when he felt the tug of a summons. Growling, he reluctantly allowed himself to be pulled. When he arrived in a puff of smoke, he looked down at Matoba in annoyance.

"Sorry!" Matoba bowed again. "I just wanted to test it."

"You now know that it works, yes?"

"Yes." Matoba answered quietly.

"Then my task is complete. Goodbye."

Not taking any chances that Matoba might ask him for something else, Takashi vaulted into the tree tops and made his way back to his favorite perch with haste. He was finally able to hear his followers' drunken calls for him when he was summoned again.

Appearing before Matoba with more smoke than necessary, Takashi relished the coughing fit he'd made Matoba go into with petty joy.

"Yes, Seiji?"

"I don't know where I am." Matoba confessed after he'd recovered. "I tried to find my way back on my own, but nothing is familiar."

"What is it you would like from me?"

"Could you… take me home?"

Feeling a mysterious, angry throbbing in his head, Takashi lifted Matoba from the ground, cradled him close to his chest, and leapt high into the air, earning a breathy scream from the human. Gathering the energy beneath his feet, Takashi skated through the air, dancing on the water particles occasionally to keep himself airborne.

"Does anything appear familiar to you yet?"

When he received no response other than the tightening of Matoba's grip on his robes, he realized the child was shaking in his arms. "Seiji?" He shook him carefully to see if he was awake and had to flinch away from the hoarse cry Matoba unleashed. "What's wrong?"

"Put me down!"

Realizing he must have scared Matoba, Takashi gently glided to the ground, setting Matoba on his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Don't do that again!" Matoba ordered before his wobbly knees gave out and he fell.

"Sorry." Takashi apologized earnestly. He was upset that Matoba was abusing his ability already, but he hadn't intended to scare him so.

There was a moment of silence before Takashi asked quietly, "Does anything look familiar now?"

Looking around, Matoba tried spotting anything he remembered. His eyes widened. "Yes!" He stood up and dusted himself off. "That's my house!"

Without sparing another second, Matoba took off in the direction of his house. Takashi watched him go and followed after him, the summons and order compelling him to see Matoba returned home.

He made it to the gate before he froze. A chill running up his spine at the aura. This was an exorcists' domain. He turned his attention to the small child in front of him to find Matoba watching him curiously.

"Takashi?"

Takashi's voice was cold when he spoke, "I have one more condition." He stood rigidly. "Matoba Seiji," The child before him straightened at the sudden odd feeling gripping him at the use of his name, "you are never, under any circumstances, to summon me while you are on this property."

"Why not?"

They were interrupted by one of the people inside seeing Matoba and calling his name before marching over faster than Takashi would have liked.

He departed while Matoba was focused on the newcomer, hoping the spell he'd cast on the child with its name would be enough to insure Takashi wouldn't be summoned into a needlessly dangerous situation.

Takashi may have been a god, but to exorcists, he was nothing more than another spirit that needed to be bound or sealed.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **To explain why Natsume has fire powers well... I was researching lore about the Kumamoto prefecture (where Natsume Yuujinchou takes place) and I discovered their mascot Kumamon (who is adorable). Apparently there were a lot of pictures floating around on social media where Kumamon was seen standing around a fire. People took pictures and naturally began to caption it with phrases like: "Why? For the glory of satan, of course!" So I could NOT resist giving him the fire ability (it also ties in perfectly to canon when he punches spirits leaving smoke/steam to rise from their heads, something I plan on keeping xD).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:**

 **I had entirely too much fun with this chapter. Hell, with this entire fic so far xD**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)**

* * *

Chapter 2

Takashi had finally revealed what he'd done to his inner circle of followers when they'd panicked the last time he'd disappeared in a puff of smoke. They weren't exactly thrilled by the news, but they let Takashi do as he wished with minimal heckling from his more powerful followers.

The young Matoba had yet to summon him for anything direr than a friend to explore with. He seemed to revel at the power he held over Takashi and was growing bolder in his orders by the day. Something Takashi was rapidly tiring of. However, he chose to wait before exerting any power he had over the child.

His opportunity arrived when Matoba asked Takashi to sneak inside his room and spend the night for what he called a 'sleep over'.

"No." The god's voice was firm.

"No?" Matoba repeated in feigned surprise. "Why not?"

Takashi crossed his arms. "You know why not. Have I not made it clear your house was dangerous for me?"

Tugging on his sleeve, Matoba gazed up at Takashi with a pitiful look, one only a child could perfect. Tilting his head, Takashi detached Matoba from his robes and stepped a safe distance away.

Furrowing his brow, Takashi began to order Matoba to never ask for this again, "Matoba Se-"

Plugging his ears, Matoba began to hum loudly so he wouldn't be able to hear Takashi's command.

Takashi's scowl deepened. "Seiji, you are acting like a spoiled child."

"No, I'm not." Was the quick denial.

The god crossed his arms. "Yes. You are."

"No, I'm not."

Takashi opened his mouth to argue further, but he felt the anger exit him in a great sigh. "Why do you wish for me to spend the night?"

Matoba's answer was mumbled sullenly, but when he took a quick peek and saw Takashi's twitching eye, he repeated himself clearly. "Everyone else gets to have sleep overs sometimes, but everyone at my house is too weird for any sleepovers."

"Could you not spend the night at your friends' places then?"

Matoba's cheeks pinked with embarrassment. "My father won't let me."

Takashi hummed. He was familiar with the concept of overbearing fathers. Though it was typically directed more towards their daughters.

Looking down at Matoba's tiny face, faint hope glimmering in the depths of his wide eyes, Takashi relented. "I supposed… if we are very careful we can try."

Matoba suddenly crouched before he jumped up, punching the sky with a triumphant whoop, startling Takashi for a moment.

"Allow me to finish." The god waited for Matoba to refocus on him before continuing, "The moment things start to go wrong I shall depart with great haste."

At the blank stare Matoba gave him that Takashi had come to realize meant he'd used vocabulary too advanced for the child to understand, he amended his words, "I'm going to leave right then."

Matoba's eyes widened before he nodded in understanding. "So that just means I need to make sure no one sees you?"

"Correct."

"How are we going to do that? You're all…", he gestured to Takashi's figure vaguely, "glowy and pretty." Matoba froze before slapping a hand over his mouth. "I meant like… you look prettier than any girl I've seen. People are going to know you're not human right away." The child's cheeks were so red they were almost glowing.

If Takashi wasn't so insulted at being called prettier than a girl, he might have thought it was cute the way Matoba stumbled over himself.

The god stretched to his full height, towering over Matoba. "I am male. In every depiction you humans have made of me, I have made certain that was consistent. I will not tolerate such blatant disregard for that fact again."

Matoba seemed to curl into himself with embarrassment. "I know you're a guy." He apologized quietly.

In a moment of clarity, Takashi noticed the way Matoba seemed to cower from him. Fearing he'd scared the child, Takashi hesitantly stepped closer to place a clawed hand on the top of Matoba's head, patting it gently a few times. "I… apologize. I did not mean to frighten you."

Matoba snapped his head up to give Takashi a confused look before he paused, the god could see the gears working in Matoba's mind, but he had no clue why. The child sent an odd smile before it disappeared to reveal a slight pout, much to Takashi's bemusement. Takashi would never understand human behavior it would seem.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Matoba smiled once more. "So, are you ready for the sleep over or did you have any more rules?"

Shaking his head, Takashi found himself giving a helplessly fond smile at the determination Matoba possessed. "Very well. However, you are forgetting one thing."

"What?"

"How am I going to sneak in?" Past all those exorcists, went unsaid.

Matoba groaned before he looked around in thought. "Are you able to disappear?"

Takashi shook his head. "I've never required the skill, so I have never tried."

The child held his chin contemplatively. Takashi assumed it was a habit Matoba had picked up from one of the adults in his life.

"Can you possess things?"

Takashi was about to launch into a rant about how he wasn't some low-leveled spirit when he remembered why Matoba was asking. "I can, but it would have to be able to contain my power… or else I would destroy it."

"What kinds of things do you need?"

Takashi hummed. "I should be able to possess large creatures without causing harm."

"Like what?"

Pointing to his mask, Takashi answered, "Bears."

Matoba giggled before calming himself. "Other than living things, what else?"

"Precious gems, family heirlooms tend to have a unique ability to tolerate my presence, dolls-", Takashi was interrupted by a laugh from Matoba. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that when you said dolls I had a funny idea and I…" Matoba's eyes widened. "I have an idea!"

Matoba refused to tell Takashi what his plan was and would only giggle before continuing home when asked.

When Matoba's house became visible, the two of them stopped.

"Okay, I'm going to sneak inside and grab something I think you might be able to use. When I'm done I'll meet you back here. Okay?"

No sooner had Takashi nodded did Matoba rush off, quietly slipping into the shadows.

It wasn't too long before Matoba returned, huffing loudly and clutching a bundle of cloth to his chest. Takashi watched it curiously, waiting for Matoba to reveal what he'd brought.

"Okay, so my father helps people get rid of bad spirits, and he said that one of the ladies he helped gave him this when she learned my mother was going to have me." He unwrapped the cloth to reveal a stuffed bear wearing a green bow on its neck.

Takashi's answer was instantaneous. "No."

Matoba whined. "I worked so hard to get this without anyone noticing though!"

"I refuse. Had you informed me of your plan before I could have spared you the trouble."

"Can you please just try it? That way if we can't find anything else at least you can use this?"

Takashi gave a short growl before giving in. He touched the bear's forehead and channeled his energy into it.

Opening his eyes revealed Takashi was much closer to the ground, bundled up in a soft blanket in Matoba's arms. He waited, hoping that the bear would be destroyed by his power. When nothing happened, Takashi sighed. "It worked."

Suddenly his world was spinning before he was brought close to Matoba's excited face. "Wow! It really worked! Can you move?"

Takashi smacked a fuzzy, brown paw against Matoba's arms and startled the child into releasing him. He landed on the rounded paws and stood, smoothing the fur of his chest and stomach. "This is one of the most humiliating things I've ever allowed myself to do."

"You look… kind of creepy actually." Matoba supplied helpfully.

Intrigued, Takashi lifted his head, having to bend his body so he could see Matoba's face. "How so?"

"It's just weird to see the bear moving on its own. It looks like you're going to fall over any second… but you move around so fluidly."

Takashi puffed out his chest with pride. "That's because my power fits this vessel so nicely."

"So, you like it then?"

"No."

Matoba groaned. "But you just said it fits you perfectly?"

"Just because something fits doesn't mean that I have to like it. Do you wear all the clothes that you can fit into?"

Matoba looked like he wanted to argue, but he never found any words to use against Takashi's statement.

"Can't we just use this for tonight?"

Takashi crossed his arms with a little difficulty due to the amount of stuffing inside them. "Why is it I'm getting the feeling you want to have another one of these 'sleepovers'?"

"Because I do." Matoba answered simply before bending down and reaching for Takashi.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Matoba raised an eyebrow. "I'm picking you up."

"I believe I can still walk, even in this form."

"None of this will matter if you just walk in there. You're supposed to only be a stuffed toy, remember?"

Takashi stomped his foot challengingly and felt unsatisfied with the lack of sound made by his stuffed paw. He stood there petulantly for a few minutes more before shuffling a few steps closer and allowing Matoba to scoop him up.

"If there are any more of these sleepovers I will not be in this body."

Matoba's gave a noncommittal, "Yeah, okay." But before Takashi could argue further, they'd entered the gate to his house.

He managed to keep himself still through the harrowing experience, no matter how many times he wanted to twist his head around at all the sealed pots and exorcists scattered throughout the estate. The various seals were pressing on him from all sides, making his head throb dully, but it was tolerable.

He held his breath during the few times anyone stopped Matoba to chastise him for staying up so late.

The second they were in his room, Matoba slumped with relief and set Takashi down on the floor to prepare the bedding.

"I only have one bed, so we have to share for tonight, but I don't think you'll take up too much room." Takashi wasn't sure if Matoba was making a joke at the god's expense, or if he was serious.

Choosing to believe it was an innocent statement, Takashi began exploring Matoba's room. It took him a little longer than he'd like to admit to cross the room, but once he'd reached his destination he began rifling through Matoba's belongings without a care for privacy.

"That's just boring junk over there. Do you want to see all my cool stuff?" Matoba asked from the floor near his futon, having just finished smoothing it out.

Intrigued, Takashi turned around and nodded before climbing down from the shelf he'd clambered onto while Matoba crawled to his closet and began rummaging inside.

Tottering over as elegantly as he could, Takashi waited for Matoba to pull out a box from the floor of the closet and open the lid for his inspection.

He first pulled out a worn picture of a woman that looked eerily similar to Matoba. "This is my mom. She's the prettiest lady ever. Father says I have her eyes, but I don't think so."

He looked at it a moment more before gently setting it aside and pulling out a brown, dried, and wrinkled lily. "This was from her… this was for my mom." Matoba explained before quickly setting it aside.

He pulled out a damaged paper shiki… if it could be called that without any power inside it. "I found this outside. It used to move a bit, but after I put it in this box it hasn't moved since."

Takashi nodded, watching as Matoba pulled the last item out of the box with a cheeky grin.

"And this is my prized possession. Are you ready, Takashi…sama?" He added the honorific, remembering he was still addressing a god, and waited for the stuffed bear to nod before revealing a large, green marble.

"What is it?" Takashi asked, admiring the swirling pattern and intricate design.

"I took it from Nanase-san." Matoba confessed after explaining what he held in his hand.

Takashi tilted his head, making the large, green bow brush against his cheek. "Who?"

"Nanase. She's the scariest lady I've ever met. She never let me look at all the cool marbles she had when I was smaller, so I secretly took one." Matoba confessed in a whisper.

"Would you mind if I held it?" Takashi asked, holding out a paw before looking down and holding out the other one so he would be able to hold the marble without the use of fingers.

Matoba carefully set it between the two paws and watched as Takashi raised his arms up and turned so he could look at the marble with the light streaming through it. "Pretty." He admired, not realizing he'd spoken.

Matoba puffed up his chest proudly before he began carefully placing everything back into his treasure box, waiting for Takashi to finish admiring the marble, so he could put it away too.

"What else are we supposed to do during a sleepover?" Takashi asked when everything was tucked away.

Matoba shrugged. "I think we're supposed to go to sleep now?"

Takashi nodded before padding over to the futon. He watched as Matoba went to turn out the light before crawling into the bedding and raising the covers for Takashi to join him.

The god let his thoughts drift, hoping to actually be able to sleep in a den full of exorcists, and didn't notice one of Matoba's eyes peek open.

Takashi was started from his thoughts when Matoba asked, "Are you going to leave me?"

"Not until that yo- monster stops coming after you."

There was a stretch of silence.

"I hope the monster never comes back." Matoba admitted quietly.

Takashi patted Matoba's cheek, being the only place he could reach, hoping to offer some comfort. When the boy smiled, Takashi figured it had worked.

"I will be with you until the end, Seiji." He answered, referring to their contract.

Matoba closed his eyes with a relieved sigh, a sleepy smile curling his lips. "Goodnight, Takashi."

Takashi grunted at the lack of honorific but noticed Matoba had already begun to drift off to sleep, so he didn't comment on it.

"Goodnight." He whispered.

"Seiji!"

"I'm coming, mama!"

Takashi watched a small Matoba rush to his mother's side. She received him with a giggle, stroking his hair gently.

"I missed you." Matoba whimpered into his mother's legs.

"Why would you miss me?" the woman asked through a laugh.

Matoba pulled away, "Because you're…" Matoba took a few steps back, his body shifting back to his current age. "This isn't real." Matoba lamented.

"What? Seiji what are you talking about?"

Matoba crouched, hands going to his ears to block his mother's voice. "Stop, stop, stop, stop!"

The woman reached for Matoba's head and the child screamed.

The sound pierced the veil and the dream shattered to reveal a terrifying, all-consuming blackness. The only light illuminated a picture surrounded by lilies.

Takashi began to call Matoba's name, but his voice was little more than a whisper in the void as he fought his way through the sludge towards the boy.

The light transformed into a flame and quickly burned everything to ash, leaving a lone figure standing hunched in the distance.

Matoba's skin drained of all color and he fell to his knees. "Mother?"

"Where were you? I called for you! Where were you? You weren't there!" Her animated corpse reached for him, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry! They wouldn't let me in! They said they could save you!"

"Where were you? Where were you?" She repeated, her voice gurgling monstrously.

Takashi finally reached Matoba and pulled the boy close. Raising his fist, Takashi smashed it into the woman's mangled face making steam rise from the contact. "Begone!"

The woman crumbled into dust with a ghostly wail and Takashi looked down to find Matoba staring up at him in confusion.

"Takashi?"

The two awoke to find Takashi was clutched tightly in Matoba's arms.

"Are you alright, Seiji?" the bear asked, voice muffled from being pressed into Matoba's chest.

With a shaky exhale, Matoba pulled Takashi away with a nod.

"You were… in my dream."

Takashi looked away bashfully. "Before I was reborn into a god, I used to hibernate every winter, so when I became a god I was able to enter others' dreams. I can't control it, I'm afraid."

"No… it's fine." Matoba yawned. "That was the first time I was able to wake up before the scary stuff started happening."

"What kind of scary things?"

Matoba closed his eyes and shivered after a while. "I don't want to talk about it. I feel like if I say it out loud it's going to come after me when I'm not asleep."

Takashi watched him for a long moment before nodding. "Very well."

They sat there staring at one another without really seeing, both lost in thought, before Takashi asked, "Are you going to try to go back to sleep?"

Matoba shrugged.

"If I do… will you be there to save me again?" Matoba requested after a few minutes passed.

"If that is what you wish."

Matoba nodded before closing his eyes once more. It wasn't until the boy's breathing deepened, evening out, that Takashi was lulled by the sounds into his own slumber.

This time, Matoba was in his current form, sitting in a room filled with faceless people. Standing in the front, stood a faceless woman saying words that not even Takashi could seem to remember from one word to the next.

"Matoba-kun", the woman waited until she had Matoba's attention before continuing, "Could you come up and solve this equation for us?"

Matoba's breathing quickened, but he nodded confidently. He stood and began to make his way to the front before staring up at the board blankly. On it, were runes Takashi had never seen before.

Matoba picked up a piece of chalk and placed it on the board before he froze.

The woman crossed her arms, "Matoba-kun, please solve the equation. It should be easy if you did the homework."

Takashi was suddenly supplied with the wisdom that Matoba had not done the homework. The room began to distort and waver as the faceless children seated around the room began to whisper nonsensically, Takashi somehow knew they were laughing at Matoba's stupidity.

"Seiji!" the god's voice carried across the room and everyone turned to him except Matoba. Though they had no eyes, it seemed like the faceless people's judgmental gazes were boring holes into him.

"Seiji!"

Matoba startled before turning around. When they locked eyes, the two found themselves in the waking world again.

Slightly shaken, Takashi pulled himself from Matoba's arms. Without even knowing what he was talking about, Takashi ordered, "You need to do the homework."

Matoba's eyes widened before he laughed. Takashi huffed before turning his back on Matoba. He took a few steps away before lying down on the floor.

He refused Matoba's pleading for him to rejoin him in the futon in the hopes that distance would spare him from being in another dream.

The next time he fell into Matoba's dream, he was greeted with the image of himself as the child saw him.

His doppelganger towered over them and possessed an air of mysterious grace.

Takashi watched as Matoba and his dream-self played in the forest. The atmosphere was calm, Matoba associated Takashi with safety.

The god felt an unbidden sense of warmth from the knowledge, and he wasn't sure if he appreciated that fact or not.

He was getting dangerously attached to his…this human.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **So, what did you think? I wanted to incorporate Takashi's ability to see into other's memories/dreams, but also keep true to his godlike nature... so I did a lot of thinking and bears=hibernation=dominion of dreams was my first thought.**

 **Either way, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! The next one is going to be a bit angstier because Takashi needs to get rid of the barrier between himself and Matoba, but "bear" with me until we can get back to fluff and add in some romance.**

 **I think I will wrap up child Matoba in the next chapter or so and then do a time skip. Hopefully that will give the people that want to see more of him satisfaction, but not drag the story for those that want to get to the romance.**

 **See ya next chapter! :D**


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